


First Christmas

by Ezzy_Pie



Series: Before, Now & After [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Mass Effect 1, Paragon Shepard (Mass Effect), Romance, Romantic Fluff, Spacer (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:15:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22373977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ezzy_Pie/pseuds/Ezzy_Pie
Summary: It's December 24th when the Normandy docks on the Citadel. To the rest of the galaxy it's just another day. But to the human alliance soldiers, it's Christmas Eve.Which in this instance, also means twenty-four hours unscheduled shore leave while the Normandy refueled.NOTE: Now updated and beta'd by the wonderful @unlmtdsky
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko & Female Shepard, Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard, Kaidan Alenko/Shepard
Series: Before, Now & After [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1526675
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	First Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I am aware Christmas is over, but due to having an incident at work I was unable to type for about three weeks, but, its here now. 
> 
> Just a little bit of Christmas fluff.

_It's December 24th when the Normandy docks on the Citadel. To the rest of the galaxy, it's just another day. But to the human Alliance soldiers, it's Christmas Eve._

_Which, in this instance, also means twenty-four hours of unscheduled shore leave while the Normandy refuelled._

  


Sam watched her crew greet their families, having notified them as soon as she found out so they in turn could tell their loved ones.

Adams embraced two little girls with bright smiles and pigtails as a dark-haired woman smiled down lovingly at him, a gentle hand resting on his shoulder.

Doctor Chakwas hugged a woman who could only be her sister, and even grumpy old Pressely met his son and grandkids with a smile. It stung that she would be unable to do the same with her own mother far across the galaxy, and cosying up with Kaidan was simply out of the question with so many Alliance in the area.

The non-human squad members, too, were also grateful for the time off.

Wrex and Garrus headed straight for the bar and Tali down to the ward markets to see about sending some salvage back to the Migrant Fleet. Liara had her own apartment and headed straight there to fetch some research volumes and to reacquaint herself with her own mattress, still unaccustomed to the hard military bunks.

"Merry Christmas, Shepard."

Kaidan gave her a perfunctory nod as he passed by, his fingers brushing the back of her hand as he passed her on the gangplank and the prickle of his biotics tingling across her skin. A soft smile quirked at his lips and made her heart flutter as he helped Joker with his duffle. The pilot gave her a brief wave as he ambled past, grumbling about having to leave the ship at all.

"You're sure it's okay if I crash on your couch?" Ashley appeared at her side, an oversized duffle bag slung across her shoulder. Sam dragged her gaze away from Kaidan, then turned to smile at her.

"Of course, Ash."

"You wouldn't rather bunk with LT?"

Sam blinked. "Excuse me?"

Ash tilted her head and smirked, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. "You really think I don't know your dirty little secret, Shepard?"

Sam racked her brain for any misconduct but came up with nothing. She and Kaidan had been extra diligent. Sure, there'd been a few stolen moments while they were groundside or Joker held a poker night where she _'fell asleep'_ on the _'sofa,'_ but never while on duty.

And _never_ on board the Normandy.

Not since the shuttle bay before Eden Prime.

"There's no secret, Ash." She pressed her lips together and settled on denial. Ash was just speculating. She had no proof she and Kaidan were doing anything beyond battlefield flirting.

Ash rolled her eyes. "Sure, Shepard. You eye fuck all your officers the way you do Alenko? 'Cause you sure as hell don't look at Pressely like that."

Sam felt the heat rush to her face, and she opened her mouth to speak, only no words came out. Was she really that obvious?

 _Fuck_.

They'd been so careful. Never standing too close, never touching.

It was agony.

She glanced past Ashley to where Kaidan and Joker had stopped to talk to Fredricks.

This was bad.

She tore her gaze back to the younger woman, her heart racing. "Ash..."

"Look, I'm not going to rat you out to the brass if that's what you're worried about. You're both nothing but professional while on duty. Frankly, it's cute. And, honestly, who you screw in your free time is nobody's business. As long as it's not interfering with the mission, which it's clearly not."

Sam just stared. She'd gotten used to Ash's bluntness over the last few months. But she didn't talk about Kaidan. To anyone. Even her mother believed her when she'd said they ended it. Sure, Liara _suspected_ , but only because of a miscommunication early on in their introduction. The asari had never mentioned it again.

But she trusted Ash. They'd become fast friends, like the sister she never had. It might be nice to have someone to talk to about Kaidan. She'd never really had girlfriends to talk to. Growing up on military vessels didn't allow for much girly bonding.

Sam moved down the gangplank with Ash on her heel. "I thought we'd been careful," she muttered, turning her gaze away and hefting her own bag higher on her shoulder.

"Truthfully, you have. I'd have never thought to look if LT hadn't lost his mind after you got hit by the beacon. He was pretty wiped, didn't really have the energy to pretend he didn't give a damn, you know?

Sam remembered. After she woke up, Kaidan had been a wreck.

"You ready?"

"Not quite. I got a few things to take care of. I'll meet you later?"

****

Samantha Shepard swiped her omni-tool over the control panel, her apartment door hissing open as she stepped through.

She dropped her duffle by the door and unlaced her combat boots, kicking them off and peeling her socks away with a pleased sigh. Flexing her toes on the cool slate tiles beneath her feet, she moved through the combined kitchen and living area to the small bathroom beyond her bedroom, where she slipped off her fatigues and kicked them into a corner before stepping into the steaming shower. She sighed as the hot water bathed her skin, basking in the increased water pressure relieving her aching muscles.

Decent water pressure was the one thing she took for granted when on leave.

A good forty minutes later, after the water ran cold, Samantha stepped out, dried off and pulled on a tank top and gym shorts. Coiling the towel around her head, she rummaged through the top shelf of her wardrobe. Pushing herself up onto her toes, her hand finally found what she sought.

Gripping the silver, palm-sized disk, she left the bedroom, snagging the comb from her side table on her way out.

She opened the security shutters, the ceiling-to-floor window opening with a horrid screech. She scrunched her nose against the sound and the dust particles suddenly floating before her eyes.

She hadn't been back here since before shore leave over seven months ago.

She placed the disk on the floor in the corner and pressed the side button.

A holographic Christmas tree sprang to life, pale green with fine needles of pine. She'd purchased it a few years ago on the Citadel, though it didn't compare to the real pine tree that Anderson used to have in his home.

She missed those Christmases with her mother and Anderson, and even the early awkward ones when Hackett was there.

Sam brought up her omni-tool, pairing it with the tree and scrolling through the decoration options, settling on a blue and silver overlay. She leaned back on the couch, tugging the towel from her head and tossing it haphazardly back towards her room.

She missed, and the damp thing lay strewn across the floor near the kitchen.

She'd get it later.

Sam sat watching the Christmas tree twirl slowly in the corner, watching skycars go by as she combed out her hair, the long tresses almost waist length. She couldn't bring herself to cut it. Especially since Kaidan could spend hours running his fingers through it or braiding it into elaborate styles.

She teased him at first, about knowing how to braid a woman's hair. He'd protested that it was less weird when he'd grown up with his mother and four sisters, and a father often deployed.

She wondered how he spent his Christmases. Probably with a house full of family and laughter and gifts. Sam glanced at the barren space beneath the tree, setting the comb aside.

Should she have gotten him something?

She and her mother had never really exchanged gifts, just a brief, pre-recorded, Happy Christmas message.

But Kaidan wasn't her mother. He wasn't cold and rigid. He was warm and kind and loving.

She should have gotten him something.

Or at least invited him up.

She wasn't afraid to admit she was scared. It was one thing to attend a poker night at Joker's with the crew and be the last to leave, to slip from his bed and get back to her own apartment before dawn.

But to invite him over in broad daylight?

It was risky. If the Alliance found out, that was both their careers over. What they had was special, precious and needed preserving.

She was staring at a bottle of Peruvian Whiskey on her omni-tool, debating whether or not to order it, when Ash knocked on her door.

"Just a minute!" she shouted, shutting the omni-tool off and frowning at the wet patch she'd left on the couch.

She punched a code into the console and the door hissed open.

It wasn't Ash.

Kaidan stood there, hair damp and smelling of that aftershave she loved.

"Kaidan! What are you doing here?"

He smiled and her heart fluttered.

He reached up and pulled the collar of his jacket down. There, stuck to the navy blue t-shirt beneath an even darker jacket, was a brightly-coloured red and green Christmas sticker.

_To Shepard. Merry Christmas. From Ash._

Sam laughed, pulling him into her apartment.

"She wanted to drape me in tinsel but couldn't think of a rational reason I'd walk across the Commons dressed like a Christmas tree." The door hissed closed, and Sam grabbed his face and dragged his mouth to hers. Kaidan stumbled forward before righting himself, dropping his duffle bag as his arms slid around her waist, drawing her closer.

When they parted, he was breathing heavily in her arms, their brows pressed together, his calloused fingers running along the edges of her running shorts, and sending ripples of pleasure straight to her core.

And damn he smelled good.

"I missed this. Touching you." She kissed him again, his hand gripping her hip tightly as she pressed herself against him, backing him against the wall. Her fingers crept up his chest, knotting in his hair as she teased his lips with soft kisses.

"I thought Ash was teasing when she suggested I come over." Kaidan's grip tightened as his biotics flared across his hand, as his fingers slipped beneath the band of her shorts, teasing the edge of her underwear. His teeth grazed across her shoulder. "I would have been here sooner if I hadn't argued so adamantly the _'you're my CO'_ angle."

"What made you finally realise she wasn't kidding?"

He laughed, leaning his head back against the wall. "Joker throwing me out because he got sick of me and Ash arguing. Also because _'Ash won't be half as noisy as Shepard'_ were his exact words."

"I am not the noisy one!"

"I doubt he was referring to my alleged snoring, Sam." He stepped close, his breath tickling her ear as he spoke low. "But you can be as noisy as you want tonight."

"No more talking." She reached for his face, her kiss a little harder as she pushed the jacket from his shoulders as he walked her back towards the couch. They parted as Kaidan pulled off her tank, his hands and mouth falling to her chest as she hurriedly unbuttoned his jeans.

Kaidan kicked off his jeans and boxers, pulling her down on top of him the second she sent her shorts flying to join his pants.

****

They lay together after, clothes strewn the short distance between the front door and the couch.

Kaidan lay beside her on the floor in the dimming light, the glow of the Christmas tree illuminating his skin in silver light, his fingers carding through her hair. She was utterly spent, Kaidan having fucked her into the couch cushions—twice.

"How did you spend your last Christmas?"

"At my parents' orchard. The whole family was home. All my sisters, their husbands and kids. It was utter chaos, but good, you know?”

"Sounds nice. I think I was… maybe ten or so the last time we had a real Christmas. Mum and I would go to Anderson's place in London. He'd have this huge tree, and he'd always let me decorate it on Christmas Eve. Hackett used to drop by on Christmas morning with presents. They were some of my favourite childhood memories."

Kaidan raised a brow. "Hackett? Seriously?"

"Yeah, he, Anderson and Mum were old friends. He stopped coming when I was about five, though."

Kaidan lifted his head to look down at her, his brows drawn together as he examined her, studying her.

"What?"

His gaze snapped back to hers. "Nothing. Just, maybe…maybe next year, you could come home with me. Meet my family, spend Christmas with us. If you want. You don't have to, I just thought—"

His words came out in a rush, and she silenced him with a soft kiss. "Kaidan. I'd love to."

His face relaxed. His fingers trailed down her bare shoulder and his beautiful eyes met hers, shining brightly. "I think they'll really love you."

"If they're anything like you, I think I'll love them, too."

He drew her back down against him, the warmth of his body curling around her, and her eyes grew heavy.

"Merry Christmas, Sam."


End file.
